Soy Ink Cartridges for Eco-friendly Printing
Soy Ink Cartridges for Eco-friendly Printing
If you want to contribute to saving our environment, you should use soy ink cartridges as an environment-friendly alternative to petroleum-based cartridges. It is one of the effective ways to encourage environment-friendly practices in the workplace.
What Are Soy Ink Cartridges?
Soy ink is used in toner cartridges in printers by using powder made from soybeans. Many companies use soy ink to manufacture printing inks.
Soy ink is similar to normal printing inks and is available in vibrant colors. Even though soybean oil is edible, soy ink is not. Soybean oil is blended with some pigments, waxes, and resins to make a non-edible ink for printer cartridges.
Advantages Of Soy Ink
Soy ink cartridges are now increasingly being used in offices and homes for printers, instead of normal cartridges. There are many advantages as well as a few disadvantages of using this eco-friendly alternative. The recyclability of paper is more using soy ink; because paper can be more easily broken down to pulp as de-inking of paper is easier. Less ink residue means more effective recycling of paper products.
Another advantage is that soybean production would increase as less of petroleum would be used. Expensive machinery and equipment would not have to be used to produce normal oil-based toners. Pre-existing technology could be used to make use of the renewable resource of soybeans. The normal ink cartridges are non-biodegradable and have a negative effect on air quality and health.
Oil supplies are decreasing and soy-based ink is the best alternative, as petroleum would be saved for other more demanding uses. By using soy ink cartridges, harmful emissions are reduced as in oil-based cartridges. It is beneficial for the environment if newspapers and other bulk printing use soy ink cartridges. The disposal of petroleum-based cartridges produces VOC toxins, which lead to cancer and birth defects.
Soy ink cartridges are capable of printing the same amount as conventional oil-based cartridges. The price is the same as that of major brands. Soy-based printing inks have fewer volatile organic compounds, which makes for a safer environment.
The cartridges are easy to install in your printer just like normal cartridges and produce the same results. The colors produced are brighter and sharper than normal ink cartridges, so less ink is used and it proves to be cost effective. Soy ink has rub resistance and is laser proof, as it can withstand the heat of a laser printer. Soy ink has lithographic stability and produces superior quality prints.
Disadvantages
Soy ink may take longer to dry than normal inks, so don’t stack freshly printed paper on top of another. If you are printing glossy magazines, the inks take a long time to dry, which may result in delay and damage. You cannot use soy ink for ballpoint pens and it is not suited for all aspects of printing. As soy ink is based on a crop product, there are chances of crop failure due to natural causes, which may affect the required production.
Using soy ink cartridges is an excellent alternative to petroleum-based inks. It is an effective solution to environmental health and safety concerns in the printing industry.
About the Author: Andrew Yeung is the Marketing Director of ComboInk, a leading online provider of premium printer ink cartridges, including Canon cartridges and HP deskjet cartridges. By purchasing a large volume from factory, ComboInk is able to sell laser toner cartridges at steep discounts, saving small businesses thousands in operating costs each year.